Biotechnology – Cuba narrates its success story
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe Petri Dish Editor-in-Chief MAHALETCHUMY ARUJANAN speaks to HE Ibete Fernandez Hernandez, the Cuban Ambassador to Malaysia and gets a glimpse of the country’s achievements in science despite decades of US blockade on the strong-willed nation. Cuban biotechnology research and industry were born in 1980 when the former President, Fidel Castro saw that need to […]
Uganda parliament passes biotech law
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE long-awaited National Biosafety Act of 2017 has been an voted into law by the Parliament of Uganda recently. Biosafety Bill 2017, previously known as the Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill 2012, was passed into law on Wednesday, bringing an end to years of campaign and counter campaigns by supporters and opponents of biotechnology. The process […]
The armour of the future
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY ARUNA GANESAN GOWNS and saris made out of silk are all-time women’s favourite choice of clothes. Just a few years back a rare golden silk gown went on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. What made it to be placed on a display is not the ‘gold’ aspect, […]
Why food left out for too long be dangerous for consumption?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSOMETIMES we accidentally leave out food for a while in the open while we go about our work. While the uncovered food in itself poses some health risks (flies, other creepy crawlies and such that might decide to crawl into our food), it is really the microorganisms in the food that we should be worried […]
How do tornadoes form?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA TORNADO is a violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of up to 300 mph. They can destroy large buildings, uproot trees and hurl vehicles hundreds of yards. They can also drive straw into trees. Damage paths […]
What is the difference between a migraine and a headache?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDIFFERENTIATING a migraine headache from a traditional headache, and vice versa is important. It can mean faster relief through better treatments. Headaches are unpleasant pains in your head that can cause pressure and ache. The pain can range from mild to severe, and they usually occur on both sides of your head. Some specific areas […]
Africa’s most notorious insects – the bugs that hit agriculture the hardest
Reading Time: 3 minutesBY ESTHER NDUMI NGUMBI, Research Fellow, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University THE dreaded crop-eating fall armyworm continues to spread across Africa like wildfire. This invasive insect pest, first reported in Africa in early 2016, is in more than 20 African countries including South Sudan and South Africa. It has destroyed many staple crops […]
What is colour blindness?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMOST people take the ability to see life in bright colours for granted. They make sure the colours of their clothing match, get hungry at the sight of a delicious red velvet cake and enjoy all the colours of nature. But for some 180 million people around the world, this colour experience remains partially or […]
How does hypnosis work?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteHYPNOSIS is thought to work by altering our state of consciousness in such a way that the analytical left-hand side of the brain is turned off, while the non-analytical right-hand side is made more alert. The conscious control of the mind is inhibited, and the subconscious mind awoken. Since the subconscious mind is a deeper-seated, […]
Researchers find world’s first warm-blooded fish
Reading Time: < 1 minuteRESEARCHERS have discovered a first fully warm-blooded fish that circulates heated blood throughout its body much like mammals and birds. The silvery fish, roughly the size of a large automobile tire, is known from oceans around the world and dwells hundreds of feet beneath the surface in chilly, dimly lit waters. The warm-blooded opah or […]